Precious Moments
by bttf4444
Summary: Jennifer and Marty Sr receives special presents from their children on Mother's Day and Father's Day, respectively. Takes place in Trilogy Universe.
1. Mother's Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Back to the Future.**

_May 8, 2011  
>10:10 AM PDT<em>

Jennifer Jane Parker McFly sighed, as she was sprawled on her bed, looking through some old photo albums. In a sense, it felt like just yesterday that little Marlene Stella McFly was born. It just felt bittersweet to think that her daughter was a few months she was turning fourteen, and she was going through a difficult stage of her life.

Her younger child, Martin Seamus McFly Jr, was just a little over one month of turning thirteen. Even though her two children were less than ten months apart, Marlene had a tendency to act as if she was a lot older than her brother. It sure did not mean that her son acted immature - but, rather, her daughter tended to be very high-strung.

She then glanced at a page of her two children running through a water sprinkler. The children were ten and nine. That was a little less than three years ago, but they really seemed to be much smaller. She could not imagine Marlene doing such a thing, now.

She wondered what her children were doing, now. Marlene, without a doubt, was still sound asleep. Marty Jr, very likely, was watching cartoons in the living room. It really felt strange to think of how different her two children were. While her son was not as much of an early riser as he used to be, he still was not the type to sleep until noon.

It almost seemed like just yesterday, when she herself was a teenager. She thought fondly of the day she first met her future husband, Marty McFly Sr. It sure was hard to believe that it was almost 28 years ago. Indeed, time really seemed to go so fast.

She mused over how her son was really beginning to more resemble his father, when she first met the elder Marty. He also simply shared his father's love of hard rock. He quite enjoyed everything from Led Zeppelin to Huey Lewis and The News to Metallica to Foo Fighters to Avenged Sevenfold. Marty Jr also really loved his father's music.

While her children were usually well-behaved, they did sometimes act naughty. Such as the one time, when Marty Jr was ten years old, he and Harmony Brown ended up sneaking off to a Foo Fighters concert. She still recalled just how angry she became, as she threatened to ground her son for an entire month. Her husband rather found the punishment to be harsh - so she had, reluctantly, decreased it to a weekend.

Of course, she was very concerned for her children's safety - which was a major part of why her son's disobedience had just angered her so. She knew that a rock concert just was not a place for young children to attend alone. Harmony's parents were also not pleased by it. The children were very lucky that nothing bad happened to them.

In the end, she understood that her son and Harmony just happened to be huge fans of the Foo Fighters - so, soon after her anger had cooled, she opted to explain to her son why she had refused to let him attend. Her son understood, and he apologized.

She and her husband were never the type of parents to say "no", simply for the sake of exerting authority. They only ever said "no", whenever they had good reasons for doing so - and their children understood that. They always tried to be fair and just.

She thought back to when Marty Jr was six years old, and she had to come to school to pick him up. He had worn a Led Zeppelin tee-shirt to school, that day - and he had been criticized by his substitute teacher for liking the band. The teacher told him that he should really be listening to music that other children his age listened to, instead.

Marty Jr reacted badly to the criticism, as he proceeded to throw a temper tantrum - and he even kicked the teacher. As the teacher dragged him to the principal's office, he was getting increasing hysterical. Once there, he had to wait in a locked room.

She still remembered hearing her son bawl loudly, as she stepped into the principal's office. The teacher had quite a large bruise on her stockinged leg, and she raged at Jennifer about how "that boy needs some serious discipline". Jennifer was horrified.

When she finally got her son to calm down, he told her what the teacher had said to him. The teacher confirmed what Marty Jr said really was true, and she insisted that he really "did not need to be listening to classic rock". Jennifer protested with saying that her son liked classic rock, and was then told that it was "not normal behaviour".

Jennifer and the principal had both sympathized with Marty Jr, and agreed that it was so wrong of the teacher to criticize her son's musical preferences. However, they also agreed that it was just wrong of Marty Jr to simply react in the manner as he did. In a gentle manner, they had discussed with him some alternate options for him to take.

From that incident, Marty Jr learned that grown ups also are not perfect - and that they also do naughty things, sometimes. He simply agreed that, if he ever had any more issues with his teachers - he would talk with her about it, after coming home.

She then thought of Marlene, and her daughter tended to not always be vocal about what was on her mind. It was simply hard for her to know how to deal her daughter's moody spells, when she would be silent and act as if she was in a catatonic state.

Her son, thankfully, did not have that problem. Whenever there was something on his mind, he was never afraid to share it. She did quite love how her son trusted her, and she hoped that it would never change. Usually, Marty Jr was really an easy-going and friendly person. However, he also was not someone to let bullies push him around.

Jennifer sighed, as she turned the photo album to where her children's school pictures were. Marlene's were all in a row, as were Marty Jr's. She thought of how, each year, the children looked just a little older. It brought a very bittersweet pang to her heart.

Sometimes, she wondered what it would be like to have a third child. Even though she considered her children to be a blessing - they were also, sometimes, really a handful. Even so, she most certainly would not dream of trading her children in for anything.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Jennifer swallowed, as she walked over to the door. On the other side, there stood Marty Jr - along with, much to her surprise, Marlene. She then noticed that the two of them were holding a wrapped present.

"Happy Mothers Day!" Marty Jr called out, cheerfully. He then hugged his mother, as he added, "In celebration of the special occasion, we actually decided to treat you to brunch... at Daria's Diner. I, uh, figured that we should go there by eleven o'clock."

"Which is why I got up, fairly early," added Marlene. "Listen, Mom, I realize I've been acting... a bit difficult... lately. The thing is, Mom, I still really love you - even though I'll often really act embarrassed to... to be seen with you in public. So, on this special day, I thought I'd make it up to you. My brother and I made this present... for you."

"I understand, honey," Jennifer replied, as she kissed her daughter on the cheek. "I'm quite well aware of what you're going through." She opened up the little package, and was shocked by what she saw. "Precious Moments," she read, softly. "For You, Mom."

Jennifer slowly started to flip through the pages, which numbered in fifty. Each page just contained a different theme, where her children wrote about moments that they remembered. She felt so touched, as tears filled her eyes. The gift was so beautiful.

"Thank you, Marly and Junior," Jennifer choked out, softly. "I'll have to keep this book on my nightstand. It sure was thoughtful of you to do this. Y'know, I was just thinking about how you kids are... growing up. The thing is, no matter how old you get, you... you always will be my children. I must say, you kids certainly did go the extra mile."

"Well, it's Mother's Day," Marty Jr replied, as he flashed a lopsided smile. "Believe it or not, the book was actually Marly's idea. We spent all last week, working on this. I just want you to know how I appreciate you, and how much you've influenced my life."

"As he said," Marlene agreed, smiling. "I promise you, Mom, if any of my friends end up seeing me with you at Daria's Diner - I'm sure not gonna care, one bit. Today is a special occasion, and I... I want to think you, Mom, for being very patient with me."

"That's my job," Jennifer replied, smiling, "as a mother." She stretched out her arms, as she said, "C'mon, you two. How about giving your mom a great big hug?" Her two children, instantly,threw their arms around her. She hugged back, as she added, "In fact, we should probably start getting ready to go. I see that you're all dressed up."

"Yeah, Mom," agreed Marlene, softly. "They probably won't hold our reservations, all day. It wasn't easy for me to get up when I did - but I figured that, for the occasion, it was worth it. So, uh, what about Dad? I don't see him around. Where did he go?"

"He's spending some time with Dr. Brown," explained Jennifer. "I imagine that, when Father's Day comes around, you'll also do something special for him. Well, I am quite beginning to feel hungry. I was planning to make us some coffee cake, but since..."

"We can have coffee cake, next week," suggested Marty Jr, smiling. "I do quite love you, Mom. Y'know, I still simply remember the time you yelled at me - when Harmony and I sneaked off to see the Foo Fighters. I remember how rather scared that made me feel, but I also... I understand how scared to death for me you might have felt."

"Yeah, you simply did give me a big fright," Jennifer agreed, smoothing out her son's dress shirt. "That's all in the past, though. Every day, I think of how thankful I am... to have two very healthy children. Well, how about we go blow this popsicle stand?"

Jennifer smiled, as her children laughed. As the trio then began to make their way out of the house, she pondered over quite how lucky she was. She had a very supportive husband and two precious children. She sure would not dream of trading in her life for anything else. Being a mother often was hard work, but it was also a great blessing.


	2. Father's Day

_June 19, 2011  
>10:10 AM PDT<em>

Martin Seamus McFly Sr sighed, as he reached for the photo albums. It was two days ago, in fact, that young Martin Seamus McFly Jr had turned thirteen. Thinking of how both of his children were now teenagers simply made him feel bittersweet. It felt as if it not so long ago, that his children were born. Indeed, time seemed to go by so fast.

At least, he did have a happy family. He thought of how, nearly six years ago, he had retired from touring - so that he could spend time being a full-time father. He really did not wish to become the type of father who quite took his children for granted. In fact, he quite could not even begin to understand the mindset of fathers who act that way.

He thought of how he had almost missed witnessing the birth of Marlene. It really was fortunate that he was rather able to work things out - and postpone his tour by a few months. He disliked the fact that his rock star life had required dealing with contracts.

While a part of him did miss being on the road, he simply felt content with the life that he led. He felt rather pleased that his son had actually expressed a desire to follow in his footsteps, even though he had always encouraged his son to follow his own path.

Marlene, on the other hand, had expressed interest in being a pop singer. While she also enjoyed rock music, pop music seemed to be her primary interest. He felt rather torn on the whole idea. He did not want for his daughter to actually become another Britney Spears or Miley Cyrus. However, there were different types of pop music.

Besides, he really did not wish to discourage his children from their dreams. After all, he himself lived out his dream of being a rock star - in spite of facing discouragement from various elders in his life. His parents, at least, were mostly supportive of him.

Suddenly, he found himself envying his children. After all, it was very hard to believe that he was just day away from turning 43. At times, it quite nearly felt to him as if it was just yesterday - that he and Jennifer were teenagers dreaming of the future.

He and Jennifer still had a very happy marriage - which he rather hoped would never change. Overall, he was also very happy with how his children turned out. As a small child, his son was somewhat timid. However, he and his wife really were able to instill confidence in Marty Jr. If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.

Sometimes, Marty Sr sure wondered what it would be like to have a third child. While Marlene and Marty Jr most certainly had their not-so-lovable moments - for the most part, they were well-behaved. He could not imagine having a life without children.

He never believed in being strict with his children, even though there definitely were times when he had to say "no" to them. For example, he would not allow his children to get a tattoo - until they were eighteen. Granted, modern technology did allow for tattoo removal - but the process could be quite expensive, and it was not worth it.

In general, he did not want for his children to make rash decisions - which they might later regret. A few months ago, his wife sure was hesitant about allowing Marlene to get her ears pierced - but Marty Sr had convinced his wife that it was not a big deal.

Marty Sr reached for the family photo that stood on the nightstand. Even though the photo was taken just three years ago, the children really looked a lot younger. Marty Jr was wearing a Pixar Cars tee-shirt, while Marlene was wearing a hot pink shirt with a rainbow and pot of gold on it. The children were now too big to fit into the shirts.

Marty Jr, however, stood only at 4' 11'' tall - even though Marty Sr knew that his son would simply grow to become 5' 4'' tall, like his father. Marlene, at 5' 2'' tall, was close to becoming her full height. Indeed, the McFlys actually were a pretty short family.

Marty Sr knew that his son was very sensitive about his short stature, and he did not even have the hope of ever growing into a tall man. Marty Sr really knew the feeling, and he tried to reassure his son that there were a few advantages to being short.

At least, his children were both fairly well-liked in school - and had plenty of friends. It made him feel good that both of his children were outgoing and sociable. He did worry about how Griff Tannen sometimes really felt the need to harass his children, though.

It was good that Marty Jr really knew how to handle bullies, and even Marlene knew a few skills for defending herself. From the time that his children were quite small, Marty Sr and his wife had trained them to be very confident and to stand up for themselves.

While Marlene and Marty Jr were usually close, they did have their differences. Marty Jr was quite laid back and easy going, but also assertive when needed to be. Marlene was more of an introvert, and she was often not as forthcoming about how she really felt. Sometimes, it was rather hard to figure out exactly what was on Marlene's mind.

Marty Sr always quite dreaded the silent spells that his daughter sometimes had, since it was so hard to make her snap out of it. He always tried to very gentle, since getting angry would only make the situation worse. At times, it would even last for an hour.

While he had more in common with his son, Marty Sr tried to show both of his children equal amounts of affection. After all, he knew that it was quite wrong for a parent to play favourites. Overall, he realized that both of his children meant the world to him.

Even though his son had just turned thirteen, he realized that his children were still a few years away from adulthood. While he still felt such longing for the days when his children were smaller - he also realized that he was really nowhere near to "emptying the nest", so to speak. He would have many more moments to treasure with them.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Marty Sr smiled, as he stepped up from the bed. He quite wondered who it could be. As he went to open the door, he saw that it was Marlene and Marty Jr. The two of them smiled, as they held a wrapped present.

"Happy Father's Day," Marty Jr called out, cheerfully. He then hugged his father, as he added, "We got together, and we decided that it would simply be festive to treat you to brunch... Daria's Diner. We do have the reservations set for eleven o'clock."

"That's also why I'm up," added Marlene. "Usually, I prefer to sleep in - but... today is a special day. You've always been a great father to us, and we do have a present for you." She reached into her pocket, as she pulled out a small package. "Here, Dad! It's from both of us. We got together, last night - and we decided to make this for you."

"Thank you, honey," Marty Sr replied, as he began to open the package. He saw that it was a CD set. As he opened the set, he saw that both discs read "For You, Dad". It was enough to move him to to tears. "This is lovely, you two. I'll listen to this, later."

"The disc with the blue sticker on it... are the songs that I picked," Marty Jr explained, flashing a lopsided smile. "The one with the pink sticker are hers. So, if you really don't want to hear Lady Gaga... listen to the blue one." Marlene just stuck out her tongue.

"C'mon, you two," Marty Sr chided, laughing. "How about giving your old dad a hug?" He stretched out his arms, as his two children threw their arms around him. He simply hugged back, as he added, "Well, kids, I do appreciate the gifts from both of you."

"We picked out songs that reminded us of you," Marty Jr explained, softly. "We know how much you sure love music, as do we. Although, Marly and I don't quite like all the same music - but I believe that we can all agree that music makes us feel. I sure hope that you enjoy it. I certainly would like to thank you for being a good father to us."

"So do I," Marlene added, nodding. "Even though, I know haven't always made things easy for you. So I'd like to apologize. I really love you, though - and I sure appreciate how you've been there for me. Also, I promise - there is only one Lady Gaga song."

"Nobody's perfect, honey," Marty Sr replied, softly. "I love you, just the way you are. Also, while hard rock is my favourite genre of music - I also have a rather soft spot for some of the mellower stuff. I definitely will appreciate the CDs that you both burnt."

"Thank you, Dad," Marlene replied, smiling. "Well, Dad, if you're ready - it's about time for us to head to Daria's Diner. They probably won't hold our reservations, all day. I'm wondering where Mom is, though. I haven't seen her around, today. Is she okay?"

"Oh, your mom is perfectly fine," Marty Sr replied, softly. "She just had a little meeting to attend. Even though I really do love her coffee cakes, I believe what you two have planned is also rather special. I see that you two are both ready to go. I am beginning to feel a little hungry, in fact. I could certainly go for a cheese and bacon omlette."

"Green pepper omlette for me," Marlene commented. "I really do like green peppers, y'know? I sure like it on my pizza, too." Marty Jr made a face. "Yes, I know - you like just cheese, but I find it to be boring. Because, it's good to eat your vegetables."

"Can't really argue with that," Marty Sr replied, with a small smile. As the trio headed out of the bedroom, he added, "Y'know, kids? Even though you both are just getting older, I will always be your father. I'm grateful to have two very healthy children."

Marty Sr smiled, as the trio began to make their way out of the house. He felt lucky to have a very supportive wife and two precious children. While he did quite love being a rock star, being a father was even more awesome. He knew that he did, in fact, make the right choice - when he opted to put aside his music career in favour of his family.


End file.
